Cornell Annual Fund Stories

Betsy Sensenig '08

"When I got here, I was super intimidated," says Betsy Sensenig. But she quickly embraced a wide array of new experiences- the seemingly limitless prospects in science, the easy access to faculty, the diversity of her classmates, and the way of life inherent in the new West Campus residence halls.

Betsy Sensenig '08

A biology major concentrating in neurobiology and behavior, Betsy is heading toward a career in medicine. To enrich her formal studies, she became an Emergency Medical Technician and joined the University's EMS. She also works with Downs Syndrome and autistic children at the nearby Franziska Racker Center. "I work with a child's caseworker in an after-school program. We work on verbal and social skills and toileting, but what's most important that I can just be his friend." She's also helping a new organization- Cornell Students for Organ Donation- get off the ground.

Even as she focuses on these medically related activities, Betsy also is expanding her knowledge of biology in a completely different direction: plant science. Like much else that has happened to her at Cornell, this opportunity began in casual conversation with a stranger. Standing in line for ice cream at the Dairy Store, she wound up talking with Dr. Ralph Obendorf about his research in soybean genetics. He invited her to visit his lab; she became interested, and the Dean of the College of Life Sciences provided funding for her to work on an undergraduate research project. "There was such wonderful teamwork in the lab," she says. "I went in with no plant science background and learned everything while I was doing it." Soon the results of her research will be published. "It just proves how limitless my prospects are here in the sciences. I can do research in any field, and the faculty are willing to facilitate that."

Betsy also realizes how much she is learning because of the Cornell culture. Just as science and faculty have yielded surprising opportunities, so have her fellow students. Having come from a small, rural Pennsylvania town with a single predominant culture, she finds stimulation in the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of other students. Now she lives in the new West Campus Hans Bethe House and serves on its Hall Council. There her daily "home life" includes wide-ranging conversations with peers and faculty and periodic in-depth discussions with visiting thought leaders.

One of seven children, Betsy is deeply grateful for her Cornell experience and for the scholarships that help to pay her tuition, buy her books, and fund her research. "I would never have been able to go to a school this wonderful except for the generosity of the donors." Those generous donors made a difference through their gifts to the Cornell Annual Fund.

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